1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a foot care article and particularly a footwear that offers human foot a protective insole and cover for improving foot hygiene, providing additional cushion and perspiration absorption capability and is adjustable to fit different sizes of foot and disposable after a brief period of use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The generally known footwear and foot care articles mostly have their merits and flaws. It usually takes more than one footwear or foot care article to complement one another to give human foot best possible protection and comfort. The prior art is replete with suggestions to attain this end. However foot care requirements vary widely among different people engaging in different activities in different seasons. The quest for improvement is a continuous issue.
Shoes and boots made of natural or synthetic leather can protect foot from injury, and keep foot dry, warm and free from soiled by outside environments. However they generally have relatively hard insole and poor cushion which could result in inner inflicted injury such as corns, blisters or chafing of foot skin. The leather shoes are not washable, thus create a lot of hygienic problems. The closed toe compartment tends to become damp and musty after trapping and accumulating foot perspiration and secretion for a period of time. It often becomes a breeding ground for microbes and fungus, and could result in foot disease as athlete""s foot and generate foul odor. Shoes made of canvas and rubber such as sport shoes or sneakers generally have sponge-like insoles with relatively good cushion to absorb impact and pounding received by foot. However the insoles also absorb and accumulate a great amount of sweat and foot secretion. They are washable but difficult to dry. If not being washed and dried frequently, they tend to generate offensive foul smell. Some recent research indicated that foul smell of shoes and sneakers is mainly caused by bacteria. Hence it is not only a concern of physical feeling or comfort, but also a sanitary and health issue. Some people have resort to spraying germicide into the shoes and sneakers to attack this. problem. It is a messy and pollution producing way, and is not suitable for instant or outdoors use.
Hosiery products such as sock, stocking, pantyhose and the like may remedy some of the problems inherent to shoes and boots. They generally may smooth the rough interior of the shoes and boots and provide more comfort feeling to the foot. Thicker socks may offer a protective shield between foot and the musty shoe interior to offer some degree of sanitary function. But they also have their share of problems. Socks made from cotton, wool or other hydrophilic fibers have relatively good perspiration absorbing capability. However once damp, they become sticky and soiled easily when contact the sweat-stained interior of the shoes. Moreover visible socks often do not have aesthetic appealing to women wearing street shoes and dressed in skirts. Stocking and pantyhose made from nylon or manmade fibers generally have good stretch ability and aesthetic appealing to a lot of women. However they mostly do not have good moisture absorbing capability and could become tacky and not comfortable when wearing in warm seasons. They usually are knitted in a thin fabric and do not have much sanitary effect to fend off microbes or fungus that might breed in the shoes. Hence there is always some trade off between aesthetic consideration and hygiene or comfort. Moreover cotton or wool socks are difficult to dry after washed, and stockings made from chemical fibers generally are not suitable for machine washing or drying. This could become an annoyance, especially during travel, trip or vacation when drying facilities and time are constrained. While disposable underwear is widely available on the market for use in such occasions, disposable sock or stocking is still not widely supplied or available in the marketplace.
There are various types of shoe insert or insole being proposed or introduced to remedy the deficiency of shoes and socks and stockings. They usually being made to provide some specific function, such as offering additional cushion, sweat-absorbing, deodorizing, microbes retarding or the like. They also have drawbacks. For instance, the inserts for adding more cushion and perspiration-absorption power usually need a greater thickness, and they will squeeze the foot too tight in the shoe and make the foot not comfortable (such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,825 to Brum). These shoe inserts are generally designed for durable use for a prolonged period of time. They also trap and accumulate sweat and foot secretion, hence their sanitary effect such as microbe retarding and odor adsorbing diminish rapidly with the time of use. The thinner inserts or disposable insoles tend to crumple under the friction of sock or sole when wearer puts on shoes. The inserts also need trimming to fit different sizes of shoe and are awkward to use. Most shoe inserts can only contact the sole and heel of wearer""s foot and do not cover the instep and upper toe section. Their sanitary effect is limited. Because of these drawbacks, they have only limited market acceptance. References can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,660 (to Yoshimi et al), U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,740 (to Oakley), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,671 (to Lhuillier).
There are some other foot care or footwear articles designed to meet special purpose. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,894 (to Charlebols) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,868 (to Tundermann) offer foot appliance and toe cover shaped like a truncated slipper impregnated with medicated foot-care agents mainly for medical purpose. U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,657 (to Honeycutt) discloses a shoe protector that is mainly to protect new shoes from soils when trying-on at shoe stores rather than to protect the foot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,941 (to Caggiano) offers a disposal footwear which has limited adjustment capability to fit different sizes of foot. U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,075 (to Munschy), U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,468 (to Munschy), U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,811 (to Rousseau), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,629 (to Munschy) disclose disposable or adjustable footwear for specific environments or occasions mainly as substitutes for ordinary shoes. They have either aesthetics, practicality or cost problem, and do not have wide acceptance on the market. Then there are special purpose hosiery articles such as those proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,013 (to Krack), U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,232 (to Throneburg), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,575 (to Prychak). They mostly try to provide additional moisture retention or cushion function, but have limited adjustment capability to suit different sizes of foot and are generally not for disposable use. There are also disposable or adjustable slippers or scuff. Reference can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,851 (to Yamada) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,349 (to Munschy). The slippers tend to flap and flop when worn and walk, hence only suitable for use in limited occasions.
Although the foregoing references have provided abundant choices, there are still a lot of footwear and foot care needs not being totally fulfilled or satisfied as yet. For instance, in the occasions of trip, or travel or vacation, where facilities or time for washing and drying socks or stockings are limited; women who wear low cut shoes in warm seasons but do not want to wear tacky stockings or aesthetic-spoiling socks; people who tend to have profusion of foot perspiration or engage in vigorous physical activities such as sports, exercise, hiking, or the like and do not want the feet soaked in the soggy socks all the time, or do not want to carry the wetted socks after replacement; or people who want feet healthy and in good sanitary condition without soiled by the musty and bacteria contaminated shoes or sneakers. None of known prior art or presently available footgear can fully meet all these requirements in a convenient way at a reasonable price. There are still rooms for improvement.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a protective insole and cover to shield the foot, especial the. toes and sole, from direct contacting the perspiration-tainted or microbes-infected shoe interior for keeping the foot in a sanitary and healthy condition.
Another object of this invention is to provide a disposable footwear for use with shoes or hosiery products that offers additional cushion and moisture absorption capability to absorb impact received by foot and remove excess sweat from the foot or hosiery articles for protecting the foot from injury and adding comfort to the foot.
A further object of this invention is to provide a footwear that has a toe cover, insole and side flaps to give foot sufficient protective coverage and may be worn in shoe without exposed for adding wearer""s comfort without spoiling aesthetic appearance.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable footwear that may be flexibly changed to fit different sizes of foot, and is adaptable for men and women,. left foot and right foot so that it can be made at a low cost for disposable use.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a disposable footwear that is convenient to use and may be packed in a small size for users to carry handily so that users may replace the damp footwear easily to keep the foot at a dry and comfortable condition constantly.
Another object of this invention is to provide a footwear that includes an insole and a toe pocket which has five separated toe pouches to encase the toes for improving air ventilation between the toes, and allaying discomfort resulting from excess perspiration and irritation on the toes crowding in the closed toe compartment of the shoe.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a disposable foot care article that contains selected medical agents for curing microbe infected foot diseases or guarding the foot and toes from microbe and fungus contagion.
The adjustable and disposable foot care article according to this invention includes a toe cover bonded to an insole to form a toe packet at the front section. The toe pocket has a curved and closed front rim and a rear opening. The insole is a pliable composite laminate including an upper layer, an absorbent layer in the middle and a bottom layer. The insole is an elongated member which has a relatively wide front and middle section and a narrower heel section, and is substantially symmetrical transverse wise. The bottom layer has two side flaps extended transversely outward from two lateral sides of the middle and heel section of the insole. The side flaps have two longitudinal heel perforation lines formed adjacent the side edges of the heel section and a plurality of transverse and spaced perforation lines running across the heel section, and one or more spaced longitudinal flap perforation lines formed thereon.
The foot care article of this invention may be adjusted to fit different sizes of foot by trimming excess heel section from the rear end and excess side flaps from the outer edges along selected perforation lines. The rear end of the side flaps may be wrapped around the heel and fastened together by a fastener so that the article may be worn snugly on the foot without flapping or flopping. The foot care article can fully cover the sole and toes, and partly cover the instep up to the upper rim of the shoe. It gives foot protection and comfort desired and may be worn without exposed outside the shoe.
This foot care article is adaptable to men and women, right foot and left foot, and may be made to fit a wide range of foot sizes so that it can be made at a low cost for disposable use. The foot care article may serve as a substitute for sock or stocking. It is especially useful and convenient in the occasions of travel, vacation, or trip where washing and drying facilities or time are limited. It also may be worn with stocking or pantyhose for improving foot hygiene, adding cushion and moisture absorption capability without spoiling aesthetic appearance. It also may be worn with sock for adding cushion and foot sweat absorption power, especially for people who perspire heavily or engage in vigorous physical activities such as sports, exercise, hiking, or the like. The damp or soiled foot care article may be discarded and replaced easily so that the foot may be kept at a dry, hygienic and comfortable condition constantly.
In another aspect, the foot care article of this invention may serve medical purpose by impregnating with medical agents such as antibacterial, fungicidal or deodorizing ingredients for healing or retarding foot diseases such as athlete""s foot.
The foot care article of this invention may be packed in a small size and be carried handily in a clothes pocket or handbag, and may be worn or changed easily at any location desired such as rest rooms, or be sold conveniently through vending machines.
The invention, as well as its many advantages, may be further understood by the following detailed description and drawings. The drawings are only to serve for reference and illustrative purpose, and do not intend to limit the scope of the present invention.